The One UN family commemorates the 75th anniversary of the United Nations

The United Nations is 75 years this year. To mark this important milestone, the United Nations System in The Gambia collaborated with the National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC) to organize a national competition for writers and fine artists premised on the three big questions: 

1. What kind of future do we want to create?
2. Are we on track? 
3. What action is needed to bridge the gap? 

Numerous entries were received from all regions of The Gambia. The presentation ceremony was held on 25 September at Arch 22 in Banjul graced by UN Agency heads, Cabinet Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, representatives of The Gambia Government, members of the diplomatic and consular corps, the press and media fraternity, among other distinguished personalities. This competition presented a unique opportunity to share a vision of the future using the hashtag #TheGambiaWeWantToSeeIn2045. Participants for both poetry and painting were awarded cash prizes and certificates during the event.

Ms. Seraphine Wakana, UN Resident Coordinator in Rwanda, said:

For the UN family in The Gambia, we are  on a re-prioritization agenda, and the heart of this re-prioritization, is the gathering of voices campaign that is ongoing to mark the United Nations 75th anniversary, also called UN75, of which today’s event is a part; and further consultations with all national stakeholders to prioritize UN’s support to The Gambia.

With support from the Government of The Gambia and the National Centre for Arts and Culture, the event helped to bolster the arts and culture sector, which is one of the hardest hit by the corona virus pandemic.

The President of the Writers' Association, Dr Cherno Barry, outlined:

It must be a year of dialogue. It must allow us to reflect deeply on our loses, our gains, our pains and our sorrows. It must open our eyes to the values we are losing, we have lost and it should increase our resolve to get them back, to yearn to live by our valued cultural norms when that spirit de camaraderie is our dogma. It must increase our resolve to build the unity among our divided people, to increase our chance of building a better future for all, especially for our generations to come.

 

Before the event, Gambian youths in the literary and fine arts industries embarked on a nationwide sensitization tour to motivate their peers, poets, spoken word artist, fine artists, school children and Gambian students, to send their responses to the UN75 Survey – and eventually increase their participation in the UN75 Poetry/Art Contest. The sensitization team carried out several activities across the country, which led to the large number of entries received from rural Gambia. During the tour, UN75 face masks and T-shirts were distributed to people in rural Gambia. Other activities conducted during the tour were radio programmes, community outreaches, panel discussions and live shows.